Discussion
Hi guys, (and gals!)
Hopefully, sometime soon, I should be joining the illustrious ranks of happy, smiling Chim owners – something I’ve been promising myself for a while and now is the time to make it happen!
I’m coming from a TT Supra, so I’m not sure if a 4.0 is going to be that much more ‘scary’ (except in the wet!) so I was thinking more along the lines of a 4.5 /5.0. The only thing that bothers me about a 5 is any long-term reliability problems. Does the increase in capacity affect the engine in any way? Are the cylinder walls weaker, for example?
Thanks in advance for any help – I hope to have a smile on my face very soon!
Mark
Hopefully, sometime soon, I should be joining the illustrious ranks of happy, smiling Chim owners – something I’ve been promising myself for a while and now is the time to make it happen!
I’m coming from a TT Supra, so I’m not sure if a 4.0 is going to be that much more ‘scary’ (except in the wet!) so I was thinking more along the lines of a 4.5 /5.0. The only thing that bothers me about a 5 is any long-term reliability problems. Does the increase in capacity affect the engine in any way? Are the cylinder walls weaker, for example?
Thanks in advance for any help – I hope to have a smile on my face very soon!
Mark
This is a question that seems to crop up about once a month, but it's not that easy to find past threads on the search facility, maybe it needs adding to the FAQ's 
Basically don't disregard any engine size before you've driven one.
A TVR is a very different car to a Toyota, it's not all about the 'pub figures'
If I was in your position I'd pop round your nearest dealer and have a go in a few, you may find that a sorted 4.0 feels better than a rough 5.0, and if your after one of the last ones, then they are all 4.5's anyway
Basically don't disregard any engine size before you've driven one.
A TVR is a very different car to a Toyota, it's not all about the 'pub figures'
If I was in your position I'd pop round your nearest dealer and have a go in a few, you may find that a sorted 4.0 feels better than a rough 5.0, and if your after one of the last ones, then they are all 4.5's anyway
The 4.5 / 5 s (by repute) have more mid-range (50-80) acceleration than the 4.0. The 0..60 I would expect to be virtually identical in all of them.
We've had a 4.5 for heading up five years and its been...errr....OK reliability wise (given its a TVR).
Things do fall off. But, on balance, they sound brilliant and they go really well and, well, you should go try some. You'll soon work out which one, if any, are for you.
We've had a 4.5 for heading up five years and its been...errr....OK reliability wise (given its a TVR).
Things do fall off. But, on balance, they sound brilliant and they go really well and, well, you should go try some. You'll soon work out which one, if any, are for you.
ummm... i'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest the chimaera 400 HC is the weapon of choice here.
Yes there are other models... but if it's power you require wrapped up in a knicker-elastic snapping shell with a pinch of subtlety, then it's the 400 HC (HC stands for Hauntingly Cosmic I believe).
If you can get one in star-moist blue then you have the extra bhp as blue ones seem to go faster. I know it sounds crazy, but there you are.
Hope this helps.
Try a 4, get back in the Supra and think... Did that feel quick?
I did exactly that with my 300zx TT, and my answer was no, so my hunt started for a 500.
But as has already been said on here every single car is different, you may find that a tuned 400 feel better than a standard 500.
What I adore about the 5ltr is the torque, its awesome, if you're feeling lazy just bang it up the box and you can stay in 5th just about all day if you like. I think it was Clarkson who tried an Aston (if memory is correct) from about 20 to 150 in one gear, I've tried similar in the 500 and it was smooth as silk.
HTH
Tim
I did exactly that with my 300zx TT, and my answer was no, so my hunt started for a 500.
But as has already been said on here every single car is different, you may find that a tuned 400 feel better than a standard 500.
What I adore about the 5ltr is the torque, its awesome, if you're feeling lazy just bang it up the box and you can stay in 5th just about all day if you like. I think it was Clarkson who tried an Aston (if memory is correct) from about 20 to 150 in one gear, I've tried similar in the 500 and it was smooth as silk.
HTH
Tim
Thanks guys,
I've just spent the past hour or so searching the threads for this very point - there is a lot of opinion!
Maybe I should just do some work....
As for budget, I can go to about 15K which would seem to be OK for a reasonable 4 or 4.5 at the moment. I think i'd be right in saying choose condition over engine size anyway?
Oh, i forgot to mention its going to be a daily driver - i'm beginning to wonder if the extra power might be a liability in the wetter months. The Supra is easy to drive in the wet, I don't think a Chim is going to be quite the same!
Mark
I've just spent the past hour or so searching the threads for this very point - there is a lot of opinion!
Maybe I should just do some work....
As for budget, I can go to about 15K which would seem to be OK for a reasonable 4 or 4.5 at the moment. I think i'd be right in saying choose condition over engine size anyway?
Oh, i forgot to mention its going to be a daily driver - i'm beginning to wonder if the extra power might be a liability in the wetter months. The Supra is easy to drive in the wet, I don't think a Chim is going to be quite the same!
Mark
I've been using my 4.0 as a daily driver for a while, and to be honest it's not the power that is most likely to get you in trouble.
The things which will be most annoying are things like the windscreen wipers and washer jets being the next best thing to useless, if it lives outside you'll be scraping ice from the INSIDE of the windscreen, and the turning cirle is in the oil tanker class
But these are all things you forget once you get to do your favorite string of bends with no other traffic about on your way home from work
The things which will be most annoying are things like the windscreen wipers and washer jets being the next best thing to useless, if it lives outside you'll be scraping ice from the INSIDE of the windscreen, and the turning cirle is in the oil tanker class
But these are all things you forget once you get to do your favorite string of bends with no other traffic about on your way home from work
sparky11 said:
As for budget, I can go to about 15K which would seem to be OK for a reasonable 4 or 4.5 at the moment. I think i'd be right in saying choose condition over engine size anyway?
£15k should get you in a 5 too, less choice and may be slightly earlier car, but achievable for that money
raceboy said:
I've been using my 4.0 as a daily driver for a while, and to be honest it's not the power that is most likely to get you in trouble.
totally agree with this. The 4 has plenty enough power to get you in trouble as much as the 5 litre. However, its just as likely that the handling + torque of any of the engines thats usually the
moments. 
Had a 4.0 and a 5.0 and it would have to be the 5.0.I think if you were to buy a 4.0 or a 4.5 you would always be yearning for the bigger engine.My 5 is a different beast to its smaller sibling,there is stacks of torque and the gearbox is just about redundant,some gears are just faster than others!However the obvious down side is a marked reduction in MPG,but I consider this to be a fair price to pay for the extra oomph
I went from a 95 supra aero into a Griff 4.3 -- loved the torque and the noise (the supra was so quiet) - however for a sense of zip and top end I missed the supra. Was very happy when my 5.0 chim came -- and never remembered the supra characteristics again -- untill I tarakaed it and its now got some bonkers 4/5k rpm power to match its already bonkesr torque.
IMO - go for the 5.0 -- the torque will blow any supra high rpm turbo power from your mind -- then lash some TVR powre magic in a bit later and you have the ultimate engine in the best looking TVR.
IMO - go for the 5.0 -- the torque will blow any supra high rpm turbo power from your mind -- then lash some TVR powre magic in a bit later and you have the ultimate engine in the best looking TVR.
If you can find one within your budget, it's got to be a 5.0. Purely so you won't ever have that "what if" feeling. Also coming from a Supra you're going to want something with similar/slightly better performance I'd have thought. That said a bad 5.0 will be nowhere near as good a car to own as a well sorted 4.0. Condition's very important and you don't want a bad example spoiling the the experience of owning one do you?
Cheers - Chris
Cheers - Chris
OK, test driving a 400 later today (friend of a friend of a friend) - not sure what to expect but will at least give me a comparison to the Supe to go on.
After reading all these, beginning to think 4.5 - best of both worlds? - but know that I don't want to regret not buying a 5!!!
To be honest, it doesn't necessarily have to 'beat' the Supra performance-wise, I've just got to the stage of wanting a V8, and thats pretty much it!
Will let you know how it goes in due course.
After reading all these, beginning to think 4.5 - best of both worlds? - but know that I don't want to regret not buying a 5!!!
To be honest, it doesn't necessarily have to 'beat' the Supra performance-wise, I've just got to the stage of wanting a V8, and thats pretty much it!
Will let you know how it goes in due course.
There is some truth in the 'if I buy a 4.0 will I want a 4.5 etc etc' but it never stops.
Buy a 5.0 and you'll want a Cerb eventually.
Buy a 4.5 Cerb and perhaps at some point you'll want a DB7 Vantage or whathaveyou...
Best to buy a car you like and are comfortable with.
They are all bloody quick.
Buy a 5.0 and you'll want a Cerb eventually.
Buy a 4.5 Cerb and perhaps at some point you'll want a DB7 Vantage or whathaveyou...
Best to buy a car you like and are comfortable with.
They are all bloody quick.
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